only hippies wear velcro

Figuring out my shoe situation for Africa is proving to be more difficult than I had anticipated. I bought hiking boots for Kilimanjaro, but now I think I need some sort of sporty sandal. However, I've been strictly forbidden to purchase any footwear with velcro. My friend at work told me velcro is for hippies. Though in the same breath, she also said that shoes with velcro are the same class as Umbros and Sambas—neither of which really scream hippie to me. Yet, I still plan on taking her advice if only because she went to private boarding school, and anyone who does that obviously has secret knowledge the rest of us are not privy to.

Anyway, between her advice and the restrictions of my latest Groupon, I've decided to go with Keens. I've reconciled myself to the fact that I'm going to look hideously ugly for the next five months. But at least nobody will be able to call me a hippie. Now, if I could just get my family to quit calling me a hipster, I'd really be making progress. (Their knowledge of fashion is minimal. Probably because they didn't go to boarding school.)